Heads or Tails (35 page)

Ivyanne smiled, visibly relieved. ‘What was the first?’

Tristan pressed his erection against her silken labia. ‘I can show you better than I can remind you,’ his hand located her greedy pulse again and he strummed it gently with his thumb. ‘Right
now
.’

Ivyanne moaned and writhed, her hips opening slightly in reflex. ‘God Loveridge I want to but…’

Tristan nuzzled himself against her heat and kissed her arched throat. ‘I did as you commanded,’ he whispered to her skin. ‘Haven’t I won your faith yet?’

‘Yes...yes Tristan I trust you. I believe-’

‘Believe what?’

‘That this could be real.’

Tristan sagged in relief.

Ivyanne took in a deep, shaky breath. ‘But what will you expect of me? If I give you
more
than a bit of faith tonight?’

Tristan lowered himself onto her. He knew what she wanted to hear, or rather-what she
didn’t
want him to demand. ‘An admission that you were scared tonight because you truly do love me, not because of what I can do to you…Multiple orgasms…’ he smiled wryly. ‘And nothing more.’

She ran her hand up along the back of his thighs. ‘But if I say I love you again…’

‘Then you’re just admitting what I already knew-not that you love me the
most
. You’ve still got two weeks to sort out that hot mess of a brain of yours.’

Ivyanne’s fingers traced his brow tenderly. ‘I love you Tristan Loveridge.’ The words were heavenly to his ears. ‘And not just because you’re sex on a stick.’

He laughed at that, glad for her humor because it helped conceal the vulnerability her words brought out in him. ‘Now was
that
so hard?’

‘You have
no
idea.’

He smiled. ‘Well it’s out there now. So making love can just be something we did for fun this weekend. I won’t run off and tell Link, nor will I take it as a down payment on a queen’s heart.’ He bent his head, pressing a gentle kiss to her rib cage, then another below it, near her navel. ‘And speaking of down payments, I believe I have a debt to repay...a
very
overdue one.’

But Ivyanne’s hand caught his shoulder. ‘Tristan not that! It’s too intimate!’

His stomach tightened against an uprise of jealousy, and he swept his gaze up over her body to her face. ‘A fact you’d only know if you’d allowed someone else such intimacy first!’ He growled. ‘And if you’re trying to stop me from kissing you for hours, making me feel possessive is not the way to go about it!’

‘But I’d stop him too right now!’ Ivyanne cried. ‘Please Tristan, don’t. I thought I wanted to make love...I thought I needed you slow and gentle to prove that what we had was more than animal but-’ She exhaled with pursed lips and rose, pushing him up to his knees.

‘What?’ He asked, confused and a little scared. Had her admission doused her fire?

But Ivyanne took him in the palm of her hand and slowly stroked him, making his eyelids flutter. ‘I don’t want you to be gentle,’ she whispered, her hand sliding faster, making him pant. ‘I want you to lose yourself, and take me with you.’

‘
Oh
..’ Tristan chuckled self-consciously, realizing that she was asking for something he wasn’t sure he was in the position to do just yet. He shook his head, feeling butterflies in the pit of his stomach. ‘God I don’t know if I can switch off like that with you right now…not after what we’ve been through tonight.’ He was desperate to take his time with her, to tease her and slowly build a fire under her heart. ‘You’re afraid of the intimacy Ivyanne but...that’s all I have to give you.’

Ivyanne’s palms rested against his shoulders, pushing him back slightly. ‘Well that’s a shame. Because there’s no way I’m going to be able to relax enough to do this if I’m sitting here worrying about your feelings-’

Tristan snarled at the very idea of her backing out now, bringing his mouth down over her stiff nipple and sinking his teeth into the aureola, eliciting a gasp from her. His erection pulsed once more, his anger and desire merging into one flash fire that spread over his entire body and engulfed his heart and mind in unison.

‘Hold on to something, sweet princess,’ he growled in her ear, his body constricting around hers. ‘I’m going to fuck you every way I know how. And there are
a lo
t of ways I know.’

Ivyanne cried out her assent and wrapped her legs around him, opening herself to the moment and wiping his mind of all thought.

*

Ardhi stared out the grimy window of Callum’s hilltop hovel late on Saturday night, glaring broodingly down at the twinkling lights of Airlie Beach as held an ice pack to the lump on his forehead.

‘She did it!’ He whispered to himself. ‘She made that wave!’

‘So you’ve said,’ Dallas looked up at him, taking a break from surveying the numerous scratches on his arms and legs where the mangrove forest had practically torn him limb from limb. ‘So what does that mean? She’s like you?’

Ardhi sighed. ‘I don’t know...I’d have to create a storm to do what she did.’ He tossed the ice pack onto a rust stained metal and glass table near the front door. ‘That was something
else
. She used her hands though, I know that much.’

So when I go to her, magic won’t be enough-she’ll need restraining.
He thought silently. Seeing her beautiful body taut with anger, those emerald eyes glowing fire had done nothing to quell his desire for her. He was more determined than ever now to see his plan through. But he felt more anxious now that maybe he’d find it a lot trickier than he’d anticipated.

‘I can’t believe how quickly they got to us-like they’d been waiting in the bloody driveway for an attack!’ Dallas lamented.

Callum crouched down to pick up the things Ardhi had knocked over when he’d first rushed inside. ‘Which means I’m not looking forward to going back for my car.’

‘I know. Just go in broad daylight and stick with the story we agreed on, okay? It was stolen. You never saw me. They won’t ask you enough questions to arouse a human’s curiosity.’ At that moment, the couch began to buzz-Ardhi’s new phone. He flipped it open, took note of the number and half grunted: ‘Sherri?’

‘Oh my god!’ Sherri’s voice was as screechy as a whisper could be. ‘Ardhi, you will not
believe
what’s going on down here!’

He frowned down at the purplish bruising along his hip, where he’d been knocked onto the edge of the dock before sucked out in the rip. ‘What?’

‘Okay... don’t freak... but I’m up in the garden, near Tristan’s old room.’

Ardhi’s heart somersaulted. ‘Are you
serious
?!’ he hissed. ‘That’s too close! Sherri-you’re insane!’

‘No, I’m not. This place is
pumping
! The music is so loud I can barely hear myself
think
, and it’s a heavy metal crowd, so let’s just say-I blend
right
in.’ She spoke in that same, hysterical whisper. ‘Besides, I lifted a gun from one of the boats we saw at the Marina…’

Ardhi paled. ‘A gun? You have a fucking
gun
?!’ He was trembling, he was so mad. ‘Do you even know how to use one?’

Sherri snorted. ‘Farm girl, remember? Anyway stop interrupting me-this is
important
!’

Ardhi exhaled noisily and went to the window. ‘Well?’

‘
Well
-I’m in the bushes with Lorens, minding my own business, when the whole lot come outside with some random, wet drunk, all acting majorly excited and smacking Lincoln on the back like he just got elected president... and do you want to know who the wet drunk guy was?’

Ardhi didn’t know if he could handle another word. His brain was fried. ‘Who?’

‘Remi’s husband
Michael
. Seems like ‘ol Link pulled him out of the pool and breathed new life into him... and when I say new life... I mean,
our
life.’

Ardhi gripped the windowsill. ‘Lincoln
….Michael
?!’ He didn’t say the word out loud-guessed instinctively that if some of the others heard he had a rival for that power too, they’d begin to question his relevance. As he suddenly was!

‘Fraid so! They’re losing their minds with excitement and he can’t stop grinning. It’s insane-wait-’ There was a pause, and Ardhi could hear some quiet chatter in the background.

‘Okay... Bane and Marcus just went back inside with Adele, leaving Link and Bane’s little sister out here. I’ll need to talk quieter. God, he looks amazing Ardhi. And happy!’

‘This is unbelievable,’ Ardhi muttered. ‘It was one thing to laugh when they were giving him credit for saving you-but if he can
actually
turn…’

‘Tristan’s screwed.’ Sherri whispered. ‘But think of what this can mean for us! What if I can turn too? What if a few of us can, because of
you
?’

Ardhi rested his head against the glass and spoke quietly. ‘It’s not
that
great. Ivyanne would be more liable to let me exist in peace if she’d thought I could offer the one thing no one else could.’ He sighed. ‘In fact, life would be easier for all of us if you’d just point that thing of yours at his head and pull the trigger.’

Callum’s head snapped up. ‘Say what?’

Sherri inhaled sharply. ‘No way!’

Ardhi rolled his eyes, holding a hand up to Callum. ‘He’d kill
you
.’

‘Maybe I’d deserve it.’ Her voice was hushed. ‘I looked in the mirror today and I didn’t like who I saw. Maybe we should just tell Lincoln, Ardhi. We could right some of our wrongs by gifting him with the news, instead of detonating him with it along the line, as I know you intend-
Oh my god!’

The hairs on Ardhi’s neck rose. ‘What?’

‘That little freaking ho!’ Sherri sounded scandalized. ‘She just kissed him! Bane’s little sister
just kissed Lincoln!
’

Ardhi’s mouth fell open. ‘
Grace
?! Are you serious?’

‘That bitch! She’s in line for her pick of men!
Screw this
!’ There was the sound of footsteps against gravel. ‘Who the hell do you think you are?!’

Ardhi’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Sherri, what are you doing?! Get out of there! You’re going to-’ Ardhi’s words were cut off by the cracking of a gun shot. He jumped, almost dropping the phone, hearing the screams from down the other end of the line just as the phone went silent.

*

Ignoring the dull throb in his lower leg, Tristan secured Ivyanne against him with one arm and used his abdomen to pull himself to his knees, never softening the assault on her sweet nipples, nibbling and suckling, one then the other and back again. She was incredibly responsive to the stimulation-greedy almost and it made him wild. He rose to his feet and got her to the bed, feeling her wet sex bucking wildly against him as she attempted to impale herself.

‘Dammit woman if you don’t ease off I’m going to have to start thinking about bald old men.’

‘I can’t-’ She gasped.

‘Reach?’ He supplied, smiling smugly and switching his grip until he had her backside cupped in his hands. Then, he began slowly guiding her up and along him-moving at what was a maddeningly slow pace, especially to him, forcing her clit to connect with every bit of his cock. She left a slick trail along him that coaxed a bead of moisture from the tip of his length in promise. ‘Need some leverage baby?’ He teased.

‘No. Some
Loveridge
.’ Ivyanne shot back, pushing off his shoulders in a sudden display of her forgotten strength and then sinking down-too quickly for him to catch her. She slid onto the head of his erection and he was so blind-sided by the combustion their interlocked bodies created that his knees gave just enough for him to prevent her falling too hard and too fast. He re-gripped her and strained away, growling: ‘You trying to get yourself killed woman?!’

‘No! I’m trying to get myself f-’

Tristan curled his hand around her waist and half rolled/half flipped her onto her stomach on the mattress beneath them. Ivyanne gasped in surprise and attempted to get up, but he grabbed her hips and pulled her back to the edge of the bed on her knees, widening his stance behind her.

‘You’re not the white flag type in life Ivyanne, and I know that. But in the bedroom, at least until your body is used to mine, you have to surrender some control.’ He smoothed his hand lovingly down her spine and over her rump, and she shivered. ‘I won’t have you hurting yourself and then taking that as incompatibility, when all that’s needed is a bit of breaking in.’

‘But Tristan I told you, I don’t want it slow and-
ohhh
!’

Tristan has pushed the tip of himself into her, knowing it would silence her. ‘You want to know what’s funny about that, your majesty?’ he demanded, wrapping his hand around her cloud of hair and using it to pull her head back.

Ivyanne arched her back. ‘What?!’